Sundarīvāṇī

Phra Sunthariwani
Goddess of wisdom Keeper of Dhamma and Tripiṭaka
Traditional Thai-style Sunthariwani statue at Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan
Devanagari	सुन्दरीवाणी
Sanskrit transliteration	sundarīvāṇī
Affiliation	Dhammapāla
Abode	Deva world Human world
Mantra	Munitha vathanambucha kabbhasambhava Sundarīpanīṇ ...
Symbol	Duangkaew
Region	Buddhism in Thailand
Temple	Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan
Equivalents
Brahmanism / Jainism	Saraswati
Buddhism in Japan / Buddhism in China / Shinto	Benzaiten
Burmese Buddhism	Thuyathadi

Phra Sunthariwani, also known as Nang Sunthariwani, is a goddess in the Thai Buddhist tradition, regarded as the protector of the Dhamma and the Tripiṭaka. She is venerated especially at Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan. Depicted with a pure white body, she is adorned in royal Thai attire, dressed in white, with two arms. Her right hand is in a beckoning gesture (later changed to the vitarka mudrā), and her left hand holds a crystal ball in her lap.^[1]

The worship of Phra Sunthariwani has parallels to that of Saraswati in Hinduism, Jainism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Burmese Buddhism, as well as Benzaiten in Japanese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Shinto.^[2]

The earliest known image of Phra Sunthariwani depicts her seated on a lotus flower. Somdet Phra Wanarat (Daeng Silwattano) of Wat Suthat conceived her design based on the Satthaviset Sutta and commissioned Muen Sirithat Sangkas (Daeng) to present it to Prince Srisitthithongchai, Prince Sirithat Sangkas (later Prince Kromkhun). The design attracted the interest of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who later ordered it used as a symbol for Wat Benchamabophit School.^[3][4]

On July 28, 2019, for the birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a commemorative book titled Phra Sunthariwani was published as a royal merit-making offering. The book included the Phra Sunthariwani Mantra, praised by ancient scholars as a means to attain wisdom when recited regularly. It also contained royal letters from King Rama V, correspondence from members of the royal family, government officials, and senior monks, as well as historical narratives related to the goddess.^[5][6][7]

Depictions of Phra Sunthariwani can be found at:

• Gable of the pavilion, left wing of Wat Ratchaburana Ratchaworawihan, Phra Nakhon District
• Gable of the ubosot at Wat Pradu, Na Thawi District, Songkhla Province
• Wat Chaiyaphum, Chai Na Subdistrict, Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province
• Wat Rai Khing, Sam Phran District, Nakhon Pathom Province
• Wat Nai But Kanchanakhiri, Lan Saka District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
• Wat Phrom Suwan, Tapraya District, Sa Kaeo Province
• Wat Pratum Khanawas, Mueang District, Samut Songkhram Province
• Phuttaangkura Foundation, Salaya Subdistrict, Phutthamonthon District, Nakhon Pathom Province
• Wat Phothinimit Sathitmahasimaram, Thonburi District^[8]
• Stucco relief on the chedi at Wat Sapphaya Watthanaram, Sapphaya District, Chainat Province
• Pediment of the library at Ban Paen Temple, Sam Ko Subdistrict, Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

The Phra Sunthariwani Mantra is traditionally chanted three, seven, or nine times for blessings of wisdom, good fortune, and success:

Munindha Vathanambucha, Kappa Sambhava Suntharee, Pani Nang Saranang Vani, Maihang Pinyatang Manang.